The role of cables in EMC

Cables are used to transfer useful signals. At the same time they can also be an interference source or pass on disturbance they have received. All forms of coupling play a role here.

Principle of cable categories

Cables used in a system are categorized according to the type of signals they carry. The signals EMC performance is the deciding criterion.

You can roughly allocate cables into three categories or classes in an industrial environment:

• Sensitive signal

• Insensitive signal, low interference potential

• Signal is an active source of interference

Categorization allows cables with different EMC performance can be laid separately from each other.

There are the following options:

• Maintain distances between different categories

• Shield cables of different categories from each other